U.s. Bishops Back Ban On Female Priests

April 3, 1990|By Los Angeles Times

A panel of U.S. Catholic bishops, in the final draft of a pastoral letter on women distributed Monday, said that men unable to deal with women as equals should not be considered fit for the priesthood. But the committee's proposed declaration reiterated the church ban on female priests.

The letter, the product of nearly seven years of study, said that it was ''of utmost importance'' that seminarians, priests and bishops examine whether they ''communicate with women as co-workers and friends'' rather than as ''sexual threats or professional competitors.''

The admission of women in all ministries not requiring ordination also was endorsed by the committee of six bishops.

Excluding women as lectors or altar servers seems ''to contradict our mandate that women be more visibly involved in the life of our church,'' the committee said.

The panel urged that the Vatican soon study whether women deacons may be ordained and expressed hope that women will not leave Catholicism because of the church's ''consistent practice'' of an all-male priesthood.

Bishop Joseph L. Imesch of Joliet, Ill., chairman of the bishops' committee, said that he was ''very content'' with the draft. ''It doesn't say everything we wanted to say, but it says as much as we could say within the boundaries of present church law,'' he said.

The 99-page document praises ''Christian feminists,'' women who are faithful to church teachings yet promote the status of women as equal with men.

The panel also cautioned against advocating ''such aberrations as goddess worship, witchcraft, liberation from conformity to the sexual morality taught by the church or acceptance of abortion.''